APSEZ challenges disqualification from JNPA tender

Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) has filed a petition in the Bombay High Court challenging the disqualification of its proposal in a tender issued by the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority for the upgrade of its Navi Mumbai container terminal. A vacation bench of Justices AK Menon and NR Borkar has called for a response from the JNPA Board of Trustees and scheduled a hearing on Friday (May 13). APSEZ was disqualified by JNPA from a tender to privatise it’s container handling facility on May 3. As per JNPA, the terms and conditions in its tender document said that any firm involved in contract termination at other ports will be prohibited from participating in the terminal privatisation bidding process. In December 2020, contract for a coal handling terminal at the Visakhapatnam Port Authority that was being operated by a unit of APSEZ was terminated. The Adani group company, however, claimed in the HC plea that its disqualification from the JNPA tender process was illegal.